B”H The Shul weekly magazine Sponsored By Mr. & Mrs. Martin (OBM) and Ethel Sirotkin and Dr. & Mrs. Shmuel and Evelyn Katz Shabbos Parshas Vaeira Shabbos Mevarchim Teves 27 - 28 January 4 - 5 CANDLE LIGHTING: 5:25 pm Shabbos Ends: 6:21 pm Rosh Chodesh Shevat Monday January 7 Molad - New Moon Sunday, January 6 11:13 (14 chalakim) AM Te Shul - Chabad Lubavitch - An institution of Te Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem M. Schneerson (May his merit shield us) Over Tirty fve Years of Serving the Communities of Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Indian Creek and Surfside 9540 Collins Avenue, Surfside, Fl 33154 Tel: 305.868.1411 Fax: 305.861.2426 www.TeShul.org Email: [email protected] www.TeShul.org Email: [email protected] www.theshulpreschool.org www.cyscollege.org The Shul Weekly Magazine Everything you need for every day of the week Contents Nachas At A Glance Weekly Message 3 Our Teen girls go out onto the streets of 33154 before Thoughts on the Parsha from Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar Shabbos to hand out shabbos candles and encourage all A Time to Pray 5 Jewish women and girls to light. Check out all the davening schedules and locations throughout the week Celebrating Shabbos 6-7 Schedules, classes, articles and more... Everything you need for an “Over the Top” Shabbos experience Community Happenings 8 - 9 Sharing with your Shul Family 10-15 Inspiration, Insights & Ideas Bringing Torah lessons to LIFE 16- 19 Get The Picture The full scoop on all the great events around town 20 French Connection Refexions sur la Paracha Latin Link 21 Refexion Semanal 22 In a woman’s world Issues of relevance to the Jewish woman The Hebrew School children who are participating in a 23-24 countrywide Jewish General Knowledge competition, take Networking Effective Advertising the 2nd of 3 tests. The winners of the local competition will 25 travel to New York for the fnals against the winners from Numbers To Know Contacts at The Shul Hebrew schools countrywide. Daily Study 26 A complete guide to all classes and courses offered at The Shul Get The Picture 27-28 The full scoop on all the great events around town Quotable Quote I am a stranger and a resident amongst you” (Abraham to Ephron the Hittite, Genesis 23:4). The Jew is a “resident” in the world, for the Torah instructs us not escape the physical reality but to inhabit it and elevate it. At the same time, the Jew feels himself a “stranger” in the material world -- his true home is the world of spirituality, holiness and G-dliness from which his soul has been exiled and to which it yearns to return. Indeed, it is only because we remain a “stranger” that we can maintain the spiritual vision and integrity required to reside in the world and sanctify it as a “dwelling for G-d.” – The Lubavitcher Rebbe Thoughts on the Parshah from Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar Shabbos Parshas Vaeira Plumbing From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words As we continue the saga of the and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. Jewish people’s enslavement in Egypt, their emancipation through Moses and their ultimate Exodus, we learned many lessons that are very relevant to our lives in every generation and every place. This is especially true today when we are also in a state of exilic existence in the longest exile that we have ever experienced. The frst three plagues of the seven that we read about in this week’s Torah portion are interestingly brought about by the direct action of Aaron, the brother of Moses, and not Moses himself, while the other seven are activated by Moses. The reason for this emphasizes an important lesson for our conduct. The frst three plagues transforming the river from nutritious water to Making a living is all about plumbing. You’ve got a reservoir blood, bringing frogs from the river to overwhelm Egypt and bringing up there, a water tank down here, and you need some way to an epidemic of lice from the earth, all came from an environment that at one time in his early life had been of great beneft to Moses, in two cases connect the two. actually saving his life. The Nile where his mother placed him was the refuge that allowed for him not to be drowned like the decree of Pharaoh The reservoir of life up there can’t be changed or moved. As for demanded. The frogs also came from the water that likewise served to be of assistance to Moses in his precarious state. The earth served as the the water tank down here, that is your career, and it receives place where Moses buried the Egyptian that he had killed when he saw only what is decided from Above. him torturing the Jew. This teaches us that when even an inanimate object gives something But you also have a second career—your principal career—and positive to you, do not return that favor with a negative response. Because that is to bring more good into this world. of the benefts that he received from the water and earth, Moses did not want to be an ingrate by hurting the water or the earth. If this is so with inanimate objects, how much more so must we be careful in how we treat In that career, you are a plumber. You can open faucets, widen our fellow humans. pipelines, drain all you can from an Infnite Source. It will It is not what have you done for me lately, but if you have ever done a overfow into the water tanks of your material career. It might favor or beneft to me then I must treat you with gratitude and respect. even increase their volume. Imagine if our world was conducted on such a level it would be a much healthier and better place. The fow of life is in your hands. Have a great Shabbos, a good week and a Chodesh Tov. Rabbi S. Lipskar 3 Education Appeal Dear Community Family, Shma Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad And you shall love the L-rd your G-d with all your thoughts, feelings and urges, with your life and with all your possessions……And you shall teach the words of Torah diligently to your children/students. Imbedded in the most important statement of the Torah/Judaism is the obligation to teach Torah to Jewish children. The obligation rests primarily on the Father but when circumstances are such that the Father can’t, won’t or is not there to fulfll this foundational obligation it becomes the collective responsibility of the community to educate that Jewish child. The priority of this Tzedakah in relation to other charitable causes is of the highest level. Trumping most other legitimate needs (Code of Jewish Law – Laws of Tzedakah 249:16). “Jewish education today,” says the Rebbe, “is not only to save a Jewish Child for Jewishness but to save a human for humanity”. The social lifestyle in today’s world of our children from primary school through college is very precarious and fraught with dangers. There are no limits and the eXtent of fulflling the simple animalistic desires that are at the base of our beings are ever increasing in their “avant garde”, beyond- boundaries life style. When statistics show that one of every four teenage girls are afficted by either 1) suicidal thoughts; 2) cutting one’s own body; 3) eating disorder i.e. bulimia /anorexia; 4) depression, it sends a shudder through me. 25% of our teenage girls are at risk of being emotionally unstable. What about the boys? And what about other types of debilitating behavior not considered by the liberal researchers as risky i.e. teenage seXual encounters, body mutilation, etc. pregnancy and abuse, hopelessness and impudence/chutzpah and a strong malady of desensitization. We are in a crisis that is targeting our future – our most important commodity – our children. Because of severe economic setbacks and downturns and unaffordable tuition fees, many families cannot afford to pay the tuition for their children’s ongoing Jewish education and environment. When the parents cannot fulfll this sacred duty it becomes the Mitzvah of the Community (Talmud Baba Basra 21:A Shulchan Aruch Harav Laws of Talmud Torah Ch. 1:3) Every year we make an appeal during this period for tuition assistance. Last year we provided Hebrew School to 125 children in public school. We subsidize the tuition of more than 100 children in private Jewish schools and provide assistance to more than 60 children in summer camp. In total, our education scholarship fund raised and disbursed close to $400,000. If one saves a single soul (albeit spiritually) it is as if he saved an entire world. We beseech you our wonderful community to continue our legendary generosity though this may require an eXtra effort today and may even be a sacrifce. The Mitzvah you will earn will surely bring you all of Hashem’s bountiful blessings materially and spiritually. Thank you on behalf of those parents and children to whom you will graciously give life enhancing assistance and on behalf of Hashem whose children you are caring for. When we care for Hashem’s children, He cares for ours. With gratitude, Love and esteem, Sholom D. Lipskar 4 A Time to Pray Davening schedules and locations throughout the week Daily Learning Schedule at The Shul 6:20 -6:50 am The Rebbe’s Maamorim Chassidic Discourse R’ Zalman Lipskar 7:45 am Daf Yomi R’ Dov Schochet 8:45 am (approx) Halacha Sephardic Custom R’ Shimshon Tzubeli 10:15 - 11:00 am Maamorim Maamor of the Rebbe R’ Shea Rubinstein Shacharis Minyanim (mon - Fri) Sunday Shacharis Minyanim Main Minyan 6:50 7:30 9:00 Main Minyan 8:00 am 9:00 am Sephardic Minyan 8:00 Sephardic Minyan 9:00 am Daily Chumash & Tanya after every Minyan mincha / Maariv Minyanim (mon - Thurs) Sunday Mincha /Maariv Minyanim Main Minyan 2:00 pm Early Mincha 5:35 pm 10:00 pm Sephardic Minyan 5:35 pm Following Main Minyan 5:35 pm Evening Kolel Schedule - Monday and Thursday 8:45 -9:30 pm Mon & Thurs 8:45 - 10:00 pm Evening Community Kolel Chavrusah To our beloved Soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces, Halachic Times courageously protecting and defending Eretz Yisroel.